Lucas was subsequently arrested and charged with two counts of murder in the children’s deaths. She is being represented by a public defender.
The childrens’ older brother, Durrell Howard, told The New York Post that he and other family remembers had repeatedly called Children’s Protective Services due to concerns about Lucas’s parenting abilities, to no avail.
Now, however, he wishes he’d been able to take his brothers away from their mother to save their lives.
“We wanted them. We would have taken them with open arms. We loved them so much,” he said.
“I should have did more. If it came to me snatching the boys out of the house, I should have and I will hold that on my back for the rest of my life — for both them boys,” he added.
Durrell and the deceased boys shared the same father, who died in 2019.
Lucas had previously spent a month in jail for drug possession.
Col. Alex Payne, chief deputy with the Bullitt County Sheriff’s Office, blamed Lucas’ mental health for the boys’ demise.
“Whether you think it’s mental illness, just pure evil, a combination of both, it could be substance abuse, any combination thereof. Pick your poison. None of it’s good. The result is horrific,” he told the outlet.
